Hanza
The Commonwealth of the Stations of the Ring Line, or the Hanseatic League (more commonly known as Hansa, Hanza, or Hanse) is a trading alliance comprising several stations, making up a large area of the metro. Overview The Commonwealth of the Stations of the Ring Line emerged shortly after central control was disbanded. Crossing all other lines, these stations were vital points of trade routes. They quickly became the place for all traders, becoming incredibly rich in a short amount of time. Soon they understood that their wealth would become the envy of others, and took the only possible decision. They formed the Commonwealth. Its official name is rarely used, though, because people were quick to title them "Hansa" - after the Hanseatic League (Hansa), an alliance of trading cities in the Middle Ages. At first, Hansa included only a part of the Ring Line stations, the unification was not momental. The so-called "Northern Arc" included at first stations from Kievskaya to Prospekt Mira, the other fraction consisted of Kurskaya, Taganskaya and Oktyabrskaya. Later Paveletskaya and Dobryninskaya joined the Hansa, and the "Southern Arc" emerged. But the key obstacle to joining this ring of power was in the Sokolnicheskaya Line (renamed Red Line). This led to one of the major conflicts in the Metro, the war between Hansa and the Red Line. After this war, with a mutually-beneficial agreement signed by Red Line and Hansa, the circle was complete. Hansa forgot its old conflict, seeing a worthy trade partner in the Red Line. Hansa quickly developed to be the economic powerhouse of the metro, a hyper-capitalist utopia for the rich. It is one of the few places in the metro where public transportation, running water and large-scale electric lighting. They usually make "partnerships" with the stations outside of the Ring, causing them to become resource stations dependent on Hansa, like the Arbat Confederation, and Belorusskaya Trade Outpost. Hansa is well-militarized to protect its wealth, all its stations are heavily guarded, it boasts motor transportation and flamethrowers, and its militia is outfitted with high-end military grade weapons. They are also portayed as being incredibly strict when it comes to entering and leaving stations, with non-Hansa personnel requiring passports or some kind of identification and well as having their weapons confiscated from them until they leave the station. Controlled Stations of Note *Kievskaya (in part) *Prospekt Mira In the Games In Metro 2033, Bourbon and other characters mention Hansa several times during, but rarely is Hansa encountered. Artyom first encounters Hansa in the level Bridge when an armored railcar is in the other platform looking for bandits. The same presence is with the level Market, as there is a Hansa frontier guard post behind the last area with shops. The way to the station is blocked off however. In Market three traders can be overheard saying that 'dope' has allegedly been banned in some Hansa stations and that traders caught with it can be exiled. Dope in the game seems to be a reference to hookah pipes as the barman in Market states he has lots to try and a hookah pipe can be found next to him, smoking it will award the player positive moral points. Hansa carries a presence in Metro Last Light, but it remains a passive force. Hansa is one of the three powers vying for D6, though opting to do less-so in a militaristic manner, but a more diplomatic one. Because of this, the Rangers of the Order do not perceive Hansa as a hostile force or a direct enemy. On the contrary, Rangers and Hanza police works together to contatin the infection at Oktyabraskaya and takes in the refugees from the station. Other than acting as another theoretically opposing force against Artyom, being the ones who's working train carrying the Dark One was hijacked by the Red Army, and simply being present at the Polis peace conference, Hansa plays a little role in the plot of Last Light. In the Faction DLC: The Ranger Rookie was part of Hanza before (or still is) joining the Ranger Trivia * "Hansa" is a term that often refers to the Hanseatic League, which was an alliance of various North European trading cities and merchant guilds that lasted from the 13th to 17th centuries. Gallery HanzaStraitUp.jpg HanzaFullAug.jpg 000MarketMandS.jpg MLL Hansa Guard 3.jpg MLL Hansa Guards 2.jpg MLL Hansa Guards.jpg Hansa president.jpg MLL Khan Quarentine.jpg Category:Locations Category:Factions